Unless you’re roasting marshmallows, it’s hard to think of fire in the woods as a good thing. We all watched wildfire devastation play out earlier this year in Southern California, and many dealt with poor air quality as smoke drifted into the United States from fires burning in Canada. The National Interagency Fire Center reports that since Jan. 1, nearly 40,000 wildfires have burned more than 3 million acres in the US.

But as I stood in a section of a local forest that had burned 18 months ago, I tried to understand how fire is integral to a healthy forest. To be clear, this section of woods was burned on purpose under the supervision of Allen Pursell, who is Sam Shine Foundation’s Director of Forest Programs. Allen brought me to the woods to show me why it was important.

When Allen lo

See Full Page